Articles pertaining to movies by Dhileepan

Supernatural horrors

Soon after knowing the fact that the movie Lights Out, directed by David Sandberg and produced by the Conjuring director James Wan, has been based on a short film on the same name helmed by David Sandberg and his wife Lotta Losten, I just surfed through the YouTube to revisit the short film. It was after this point when I came to know that the couple has been steering short films and been uploading the videos to their YouTube channel for a while. All the short films, which have been shot within one or more rooms of an apartment, with Lotta spearheading the department of acting, have been interesting, crisp and crystal clear. Being a fan of horror movies, as a means of recommendation to horror movie lovers, I would like to share my views on David and Lotta’s horror short films and the following are my opinions on each of them.

Cam Closer – A Camera Phone With A ‘Special Feature’

In the short film, Cam Closer, Lotta is accompanied by a camera phone with a ‘special feature’ of capturing the objects of the future. The execution of this kind of interesting concept in the very beginning of the film did kindle my curiosity towards the movie. Jump scare, one of the classic techniques of horror movies has been deftly utilized in this short film. Perfectly dressed and optimally portraying protagonist, minimal deployment of background score, picture-perfect camera work, unclouded editing and an ideal backdrop have been the other facets that have firmed up the flow of the movie.

See You Soon – A 14-second Extramundane Confrontation

See You Soon is a 14-second short film that presents the confrontation, which a lonely woman (Lotta Losten) does with a supernatural creature. Along the lines of Cam Closer, jump scare has been proficiently utilized in See You Soon as well with an apt support from the arena of VFX. A weird and a unique depiction of the demons are sure to strike a chord with the target audience.

Not So Fast – An Inscrutable Nightmare Of A Woman

Not So Fast is a visual depiction of an inscrutable nightmare of a woman (Lotta Losten), in the corridor of her apartment, who has been haunted by a cacodemon. Eerie noise that has been placed at regular intervals sets up the pace of the short film. The way in which a fast walk by the lead has been followed up by a prolonging corridor, accompanied with a screeching sound of the door, has provided a hair-raising experience. Unlike Cam Closer and See You Soon, Lotta gets a chance to utter few dialogues in Not So Fast and the ‘Lights Out‘ man has done a brief cameo too.

Pictured – A Lady’s Abnormal Encounter With An Uncanny Girl In A Painting

An unnatural encounter of a lady (Lotta Losten) with an uncanny girl (Hanna Johansson) in a painting that has been poised over the wall is what Pictured tends to portray. The theme of Pictured looks like it could well become a cult classic if it gets executed with the same intensity as that of its shorter version in the cinema. As per David’s statement in the comment section of the couple’s YouTube channel, forPictured there seems to be a story for a feature film. So, let’s wait for the day for the materialized news to get announced officially.

Coffer – A Blood-curdling Episode Of A Lonely Lassie

Coffer is a blood-curdling episode of a lonely woman who battles against the unearthly happenings around a coffer in the hallway of her house. Squeaking sound from the coffer adds to the horror quotient of this perfectly executed short film. With each and every short film, the couple has been pushing the envelope in terms of concept, acting and execution. One of the successes of David and Lotta’s horror flicks has been the unique sketch that they have been offering to the devils. They tend to adhere with the procedure, which they have initiated right from their first horror movie, in Coffer as well.

Attic panic – Spine-chilling Moments Of A Lass In An Attic

The short film captures the spine-chilling moments of a woman who gets fixed in the attic in order to seclude herself from a weird and an invisible attendant. The places which David and Lotta choose for their plot to unfold have always been convincing. Attic panic has followed suit. Sound mixing, which if properly dealt with, would for sure help the audience to feel the experience which the makers had intended to do. As far as the consistent background score for most parts of the film and the breaking sound of the glass bulb, Attic Panic has continued to do what the previous short flicks of the couple have proffered in terms of sound mixing.

Closet Space – A Weird Closet That Could Duplicate Objects

Closet Space deals with a weird closet that has the ability to duplicate objects that are placed in it, which are either living or non-living. What happens when the couple, David and Lotta are subjected to the horrors of the closet when placed within it is what the Closet Space narrates about. Unexpected yet interesting endings have been a quintessential part of the horror films that have been talked about so far. Such is the case in Closet Space as well.

So, Will David And Lotta’s Lights Out On Big Screen Start With A Bang?

All said and done, the concepts of and the narrations in David and Lotta’s short films could well be termed as crystal clear works that are accompanied by interesting concepts and twists. With the flicks possessing the potentials to turn out into full-fledged feature films, there are high chances for the movies to garner a considerable fan base for each, if executed well. So, let the journey of David and Lotta on big screen with Lights Out start with a bang.

What if the Warren couples (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga retain their roles) face up to and deal with an entirely new case of paranormal investigation involving a family that comprises a single mother – Peggy Hodgson (Frances O’Connor) and her four children – Margaret, Janet, Johnny and Billy which has been mentally afflicted by cacodemons? The answer is an on-screen battle where the Warrens defeat the Fiends via evangelical means.

As the pattern of execution of Conjuring and Conjuring 2 is fairly same, it is unavoidable to stop comparing both. Conjuring 2 has leveraged the visual effects front relatively more than that of Conjuring. Notable contribution from the arena of VFX in this movie has been the manner in which the ‘Crooked Man’ has been showcased and a hair-raising scene featuring hellhound. Along the lines of the usage of a wardrobe and music toy in the first instalment of Conjuring, a tent within the house and a music box have been optimized in the second instalment.

One among the aspect that sets apart Conjuring 2 from its previous chapter is the extended portrayal of the love that prevails between Ed and Lorrain Warren. In the second episode, an intense revelation of the mutual affection between the couple has been exhibited for which a premonition that Lorrain senses has been manifested. In both the movies, James Wan has sketched the demons in a weird and a unique manner. In order to keep the curiosity intact, glimpses of the demons have been depicted in the initial portions of the movie and the complete demeanour of the evil spirits have been revealed towards the climax. Irrespective of the two chapters, the actors have ably supported the well-written scripts.

In the initial portions of the movie, narration has been executed in two different tracks in which one comprises the day-to-day happenings of the Peggy Hodgson’s family and the other involves the proceedings in the life of Ed and Lorrain. As the movie progresses, the execution of the two narrations have converged and advanced towards the climax where the solutions for all the anxiety generating knot have been untied. Ingenious sound design deserves a special mention. A dead silence has been utilized prior to some satanic sequences followed by a jump scare which as a whole could well be defined as blood-curdling moments. Don Burgess’s camera angles such as the shot that features a water droplet from the tap in the kitchen and the capture of the main hall of the house after everyone has gone for sleep sets up the mood to welcome some on-screen devilish happenings. The concept of teleportation of Janet (Madison Wolfe), that takes place within Hodgson’s house, has been skilfully executed. In the climax, Kirk M.Morri’s editing and Don’s cinematography have worked hand-in-glove and have conveyed the difficult situation that Ed Warren and Janet face in the sequence.

Jump scare which has been a quintessential part of most of the horror flicks finds its place in Conjuring 2 as well. One of the conventional approaches in the horror movies is that the person who first gets traumatized by the ghost gets the “Barmy” tag imposed on him/her by his/her co-characters. Victim of such a common practice, in Conjuring 2, is Janet. Also, a dark mark can be perceived around the eyes of the person who is in trance. Deployment of the banalities does not end here. Shaking the beds, hurling the furniture, pounding at and banging the doors have also been utilised here and there. In spite of the presence of all these clichés in various portions of the movie, the presentation of James Wan is intriguing.

With two movies in the kitty of the Conjuring franchise, it is now evident that the boundaries of the movies of this franchise are not confined to horror alone. It is outstretched to the likes of horror, comedy, love between a couple and familial bonding. So, the expectations on the upcoming derivatives will vested upon all the above mentioned factors.